Wall structure for railway cars



June 21, 1938. G. QILPIN I 2,121,288

WALL STRUCTURE FOR RAILWAY CARS FiledApril 2,.1937' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 21,- 1938. G]LP||\| WALL STRUCTURE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed April 2, 1957 V 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fly/2 Patented June 21, 1938 PATENT OFFICE 7 2,121,288 WALL STRUCTURE FOR RAILWAY CARS Garth G. Gilpin, Riverside, Ill., assignor, by.

mesne assignments, to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Delaware Application April 2, 1937, Serial No. 134,592 a 8 Claims. (Cl. 105-410 The invention relates to railway cars, and moreparticularly to end wall (or side walls) therefor which perform several functions, towit: thatof retaining the lading in the car; holding the car superstructuresquare; resisting the thrust of the shifting load, and protecting the ladingfrom the weather. i

The construction is also adaptable to a car roof which holds the car square and also holds .10" the side walls in place. The structure is also adaptable to'side doors for railway cars and side walls ofopen top gondola and hopper cars.

One of theprimary objects of the invention is to associate two'spaced apart relatively light 15 weight metallic sheets with struts therebetween so that these elements will cooperate to form a Very strong beamlike structurebetween theside walls, of the car to enable the wall to perform the functions enumerated above.

'6- Anotherobject of the invention is to provide a structure wherein very light weight metallic sheets may be used which is made possible by the distribution of the metal in my arrangement of parts; such for instance, as sheet steel, aluminum 25 or corten. Galvanized sheets could be used as the galvanization would not be cracked or broken in my arrangement. Furthermora'by the fact fthatthe light weight sheets are not stretched or deformed in shaping them for use in my structure, such as when metallic sheets are formed intoa plurality of corrugations.

Another object o-f the invention is to form such a double sheet wall (with struts therebetween) in, which the inner sheet is flat and the outer 3' sheet isoutwardly bowed, whereby a smooth interior surface of the wall is provided which is desirable for package lading and for explosive 'lading, and whereby the relatively narrow marginal portions provide space for the ladders when the structure is used in an end wall for a railway car; provides tunnel clearance at the eaves of the car when thestructure is used in a roof of a railway car, and provides clearance for the roller brackets or for hangers when the structure is 5 used in a side door for a railway car.

Another object is to provide a structure in which the component elements may be welded or riveted together and wherein the wall may be assembled in the field and applied to the car as a unit.

Another object is to provide members at the margins of the metallic sheets which provide means to secure the two sheets together for beam action; provides increase shear value at- 55 the ends of the beams, and, if desirable, to pro:

vide means to attach the wall to other elements of the car structure.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows an end of a railway car having my improved wall structure. 5

Fig.2 is a section on line2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section on line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. '7 is anenlarged section on line 'l-'l of Fig. 1. 1

'arate members.

Fig. 11 shows another modified structure.

Figs. 12 and 13 show an arrangement of the struts wherein they are closer together adjacent the floor of the car than elsewhere.

The drawings show the usual parts of the car, such as side plate 2; side sill 3; end sill 4; striking casting 5 and flooring 6. i i

The wall comp-rises an inner flat metallic sheet 7, an outwardly bowed metallic sheet 8 with the opposite margins 9 thereof adjacent but preferably spaced from the adjacent margins I!) of the inner flat sheet I and a plurality of struts l2 are positioned between the sheets and formed and secured thereto so that the inner metallic sheet; the outer bowed metallic sheet and the struts cooperate to'provide a beam wherein the outer metallic sheet 8 forms the tension member and the flat sheet 1 forms the compression member of the beam for a force from within the car and vice versa for a force from outside the car. 40

In the preferred form the inner metallic sheet 1 is provided with wings l5 and the outer bowed metallic sheet is provided with wings it which are preferably in spaced relation to the wings l5. Each strut l2 comprises a web It, an inner flange I9 and an outer flange 20, which flanges are secured to the inner (l) and outer (8) metallic sheets, preferably by welding 22-23 (or one flange riveted and the other welded). The width of the web l8 varies to conform to the varying distance between the inner and outer metallic sheets and the flanges l9 and 2!! vary correspondingly; that is, the flanges increase in width in proportionto the decrease in widthof the web so that the neutral axis of the structure is sub-,

stantially midway between the metallic sheets whereby the metal is distributed to obtain the maximum strength thereof as a beam. These flanges |9-2ll merge together (as best shown in Fig. 8) and are bent to form wings 25 which are positioned between the wings l and I6 of the inner and outer metallic sheets. The struts l2 are preferably so formed and positioned that the edges 26 of adjacent struts are close together so that they may be secured together by welded material to form a substantially continuous reinforcing member between the Wings 15 and I6 of the two metallic sheets. (See Fig. 1.) The wings and struts are secured to the side wall 28 by rivets 29 (or other means). The metallic sheets are preferably spaced apart adjacent the side walls of the car to provide greater shear value at the ends of the beam (along the line 30 in Fi 7) If more than one inner metallic sheet is used they may be welded together and to a flange, as at 3|. If two outer metallic sheets are used they may be welded together and to a flange, as'at 32, or may be riveted together. The struts may be riveted to the outer sheets and then the inner sheet may be welded to the struts, thus maintaining a smooth interior surface for the car wall.

In the modification shown in Figs. 9 and a separate corner post 40 (or other frame member) is shown, comprising an arm' 4| for attachment to the car side wall 42 (or other car element) and another arm 43 having parts 44 normal to the other arm 4! and other parts 45 alternating with the parts 44 positioned at an acute angle to the parts 44. Such an arm may be called corrugated. The inner metallic sheet 48 is secured to the parts 44 and the outer bowed metallic sheet 49 is secured to the parts 45. The outer metallic sheet 49 is continued and bent to form a flange 50 overlapping and secured to the frame member 40 by the rivets 5|. The struts 53 extend between and are secured to the frame members 40, preferably by welded material 55.

Fig. 11 shows a modification wherein the outer sheet 60 overlaps the side wall SI and the frame member 62 has one arm l3 secured to the side wall and flange 64 of the outer wall and another arm 65 overlapping and secured to the inner sheet 66 and strut 61.

My wall may be assembled and applied to the car as a unit.

Figs. 12 and 13 show how the struts I2 decrease in depth toward the sides of the car and how the flanges of the struts increase in width toward the side of the car. These Figs. 12 and 13 also show the struts nearer together adjacent the floor 5 cf the car. I i 1 A wall, according to my invention, is relatively thick (normal to its general plane) adjacent its medial portion and relatively thin at its opposite margins, which is advantageous in an end wall for ladder (16) and grab iron clearances, and in apart frame members each comprising an arm for attachment to car elements, and another arm having parts normal to the first mentioned arm and other parts alternating therewith positioned at an acute angle, a flat inner metallic sheet extending between and secured to the first mentioned part, an outwardly bowed outer metallic sheet extending between and secured to the last mentioned part, and a plurality of struts positioned between and secured to said sheets which extend between and are secured to said frame members.

2. A wall for a railway car comprising spaced apart frame members each comprising an arm for attachment to car elements, and another arm having parts normal to the first mentioned arm and other parts alternating therewith positioned at an acute angle, a flat inner metallic sheet extending between and secured to the first mentioned part, an outwardly bowed outer metallic sheet extending between and secured to the last mentioned part, and a plurality of struts positioned between and secured to said sheets which extend between and are secured to said frame members, said outer metallic sheet having flanges overlapping and'secured to the first mentioned arms of the frame members.

3. A wall for a railway car comprising spaced apart frame members each comprising an arm for attachment to car elements, and another arm having parts normal to the first mentioned arm and other parts alternating therewith positioned at an acute angle, a flat inner metallic sheet extending between and secured to the first mentioned part, an outwardly bowed outer metallic sheet extending between and secured to the last mentioned part, and a plurality of struts which extend between and are secured to said frame members, each of said struts having a web, an inner flange and an outer flange secured to the inner and outer metallic sheets respectively with the web varying in width to conform to the distancebetween the metallic sheets and the flanges varying correspondingly in widths so that the neutral axis of the wall is midway between the metallic sheets.

4. An end wall for a railway car comprising spaced apart corner posts, each post comprising an arm for attachment of a car side wall, and a corrugated arm extending substantially normal thereto having alternating parts in angularly disposed planes, a flat inner metallic sheet extending between and secured to the inner of said alternating parts, an outwardly bowed outer metallic sheet extending between and secured to the outer of said alternating parts, and a plurality of horizontally disposed struts extending between and secured to said corner posts.

5. A wall for a railway car comprising a flat inner metallic sheet provided with wings at opposite margins thereof, an outwardly bowed outer metallic sheet with opposite margins thereof adjacent but spaced from the adjacent margins of the flat sheet, said bowed metallic sheet provided with wings at its said margins spaced apart from the wings of the flat sheet, and a plurality of struts positioned between said sheets, each of said struts having a web, an inner flange and an outer flange and secured to the inner and outer metallic sheets respectively with the web varying in width to conform to the distance between the metallic sheets and the flanges varying correspondingly in widths, said flanges merging together and bent to form wings which are positioned between the wings of the inner and outer metallic sheets.

6. A wall for a railway car comprising a flat inner metallic sheet provided with wings at opposite margins thereof, an outwardly bowed outer metallic sheet with opposite margins thereof adjacent but spaced from the adjacent margins of the fiat sheet, said bowed metallic sheet provided with wings at its said margins spaced apart from the wings of the flat sheet, and a plurality of struts positioned between said sheets, each of said struts having a web, an inner flange and an outer fiange and secured to the inner and outer metallic sheets respectively with the web varying in width to conform to the distance between the metallic sheets and the flanges varying correspondingly in widths, said flanges merging together and bent to form wings which are positioned between the wings of the inner and outer metallic sheets, the edges of the adjacent wings of the struts being welded together to form a waterproof structure.

'7. A wall for a railway car comprising a flat inner metallic sheet, an outwardly bowed outer metallic sheet with opposite margins thereof adjacent but spaced from the adjacent margins of the flat sheet, members between said adjacent margins which fill the spaces therebetween to provide a waterproof structure, said members being secured to said inner and outer sheets, a plurality of struts positioned between and secured to said sheets, which struts extend between and are secured to said members, and means to secure said members to elements of the car structure whereby said sheets, said struts and said members cooperate to form a beam between said car elements.

8. A wall for a railway car comprising a flat inner metallic sheet, an outwardly bowed outer metallic sheet with opposite margins thereof adjacent but spaced from the adjacent margins of the flat sheet, members having flat portions between said adjacent margins which fill the spaces therebetween and corrugated portions having al ternating parts secured to said inner and outer sheets, a plurality of struts positioned between and secured to said sheets, which struts extend between and are secured to said members, and means to secure said members to elements of the car structure whereby said sheets, said struts and said members cooperate to form a beam between said car elements.

GARTH G. GlLPIN. 

